Late payment interest by country (2026)
What the law already owes a business whose invoice is paid late, country by country.
Across the European Union, an unpaid commercial invoice earns statutory interest at the reference rate plus at least eight percentage points, and a fixed sum of at least EUR 40 towards recovery costs — automatically, without a reminder. Several countries legislate above that floor. Outside the Union the regimes differ in kind: Switzerland sets a flat 5% with no fixed sum, and Mexico applies 6% only where the contract said nothing.
| Country | Statutory rate | How it is built |
|---|---|---|
| France | 12.4 % | ECB rate + 10 |
| Belgium | 10.4 % | ECB rate + 8 |
| Luxembourg | 10.4 % | ECB rate + 8 |
| Switzerland | 5 % | flat, set by statute |
| Germany | 10.27 % | Basiszinssatz + 9 |
| Austria | 11.6 % | ECB rate + 9.2 |
| Italy | 10.4 % | ECB rate + 8 |
| Spain | 10.4 % | ECB rate + 8 |
| Portugal | 10.4 % | ECB rate + 8 |
| United Kingdom | 11.75 % | Bank of England base rate + 8 |
| Ireland | 10.4 % | ECB rate + 8 |
| Mexico | 6 % | flat, set by statute |
Important
A general overview, not legal advice. The reference rate is reset every 1 January and 1 July, so a rate read in one half-year is wrong in the next — each country page carries the date its figure was read.